Have some unfinished projects at home?  An incomplete assignment waiting for you at work?  Some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of?

I heard a psychoanalyst friend of mine say that “things left undone” can be a great source of anxiety.

You know that anyway.  You are disturbed each time you walk past the unpainted doors in the hallway.  Agitated when you uncover that unfinished scrapbook stuffed away in your closet.  A tinge of tension settles on your shoulders when you remember the broken promises you’ve made to your kids.

Maybe there’s a phone call you need to make – a conversation started that needs to be completed.

Or every morning you stare at the same pile of partially completed work on your desk.

The excuses for all this “undoneness” are numerous:  no time, lost interest, fear, uncertainty on how to proceed, or neglect.

The only thing that will ease the anxiety of unfinished business is to finish it.

I was the one with the unpainted doors in the hallway – for a year!  One day, I retrieved the paint, stirred and stirred and stirred, then painted and painted and painted until I covered each door in the hallway.  DONE!  It felt wonderful.  I walk through the hallway without feeling a thing about the doors – because they’re finished.

Try it.

Finish something today.  Make good on a promise you’ve made – it’s not been forgotten.  Pick up the pile on your desk and work through it.  Ask questions, research, find the answers –  just do it.

The pile might be in the laundry room or spilling over into your bedroom.  You’ve wanted to get rid of some things so, pack a box and donate it to your local thrift store.

Start with something small, or go for the big project first.  Just finish something today.